Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



J. W. COCHRAN.

Breech-loading Fire-arm. No. 47,396. I Patented April 25, 1865.

wine-$66 v Zzumim;

N, PETERS, FHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON DYC.

NITED STATES JOHN W. COGHRAN,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN BREECH-LOADING FlRE- ARMSL Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,396, dated April 25, 1865.

. being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a side View of a pistol constructed according to myinvention, showing part of the frame broken away to expose my invention to view. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same, showing the face of the breech.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to that class of breechloading fire-arms the rear end of the barrel of which is opened for the reception of fixed ammunition by a horizontal movement of the barrel upon a pivot situated at some distance forward of the breech.

It consists in a loose sliding safety-pin applied below the head of the hammer, and between the hammer and a spring-catch, which is employed to lock the barrel opposite to the breech in position for firing, whereby the said catch is prevented from being drawn back to unlock the barrel while the'hammer is down, and without drawing back the hammer to the position of half-cock.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct fire-arms according-to my invention, I will proceed to describe it with reference to the drawings.

A a b is the metal frame of the stock, a portion, a, of which extends under the barrel B,

and another portion, 6, of which constitutes the breech. The barrel is pivoted at o to the portion a of the frame. The rear end of the barrel is not countersunk, and therefore the flanged head 6 of the cartridge projects externally from it when the cartridge is in place for firing. In the face of the breech b there is a recess, d f, for the reception of the flanged head 0 of the cartridge. This recess is semicircular onone side, as shown at f in Fig. 3, to fit the flanged head of the cartridge when the barrel is closed, but open on the other side from top to bottom, to allow the head of the cartridge to pass in and out in the movements of the barrel to open its rear end for loading and close it preparatory to firing. The closed side f of this recess constitutes a stop, with which the head of the cartridge comes in contact in the act of closing the barrel, thereby stopping the barrel opposite the breech in position for firing, and the top of this recess serves as a stop to the said head, to hold the barrel down in case of any looseness of the pivot c.

g is the spring catch operating upon the head of the cartridge on that side of the firearm where the recess (1 f is open, for the-purpose of locking the barrel in its closed position opposite the breech after loading. This catch consists of a small tongue of spring-steel, one end of which is secured to the breech by being inserted into a dovetail groove, or by any suitable means, on the closed side of the recess d f, and lies in a groove cut across the face of the outwardly beyond the breech on the open side of the recess, there is on its front side a shoulder, 5, from which the said side is beveled to the projecting extremity, as shown at 6 in Fig. 2. The shoulder 5 occupies such a position that it will serve as a stop to one side of the head of the cartridge while the opposite side is in contact with the closed side f of the re cess d f, and thereby lock the barrel opposite the breech by its action on the said head, as shown in Fig. 2. In closing the barrel after the insertion of the cartridge the head of the latter, acting against the bevel 6, presses back the springcatch until the head passes the shoulder 5 and arrives in contact with the closed side f of the recess, when the catch springs forward and the shoulder 5 looks the barrel. To open the barrel for reloading after firing, the thumb is pressed back against the front of that portion of the catch which projects laterally from the breech, and the catch so pressed back far enough for the barrel to open. The discharged cartridge-shell is then withdrawn from the barrel by the thumb and finger and a new cartridge inserted.

his the safety-pin inserted between the front part of the hammer D and the back of the catch 9, below the head of the hammer. This pin works through a hole in the breech, and has a small head at its front end, to prevent its dropping through the breech into the lock.

recess; and near its other end, which projects Its length is such that when the hammer .is

down, as shown in Fig. 1, the hammer presses it against the spring-catch,and s0 prevents the latter from being pulled back accidentally or otherwise and unlocking the barrel; but when the hammer is drawn back as far as the position of half-cock, as shown in Fig. 2, it permits the said pin to move back, and so allows the spring-catch to be moved back for unlocking the barrel.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I J. XV. OOOHRAN.

Vfitnesses:

J. W. COOMBS, HENRY T. BROWN. 

